Victory
by xoBrandyxo123
Summary: Au: What might have happened if Gale was the one chosen to compete in the 74rth Hunger Games.


He doesn't bother to withhold his sigh of relief when the name, "Leanne Long" is called.

Doesn't even feel sorry when the blonde haired girl from the better side of the area screams in anguish and disbelief. Nor does he bat an eye when the waterworks start, or pleads for help.

The peacekeepers eventually shove through the motionless bodies of females, who are secretly lifted with joy at the prospect of living another year, and drag the screaming sixteen year old up onto the stage.

She has three sisters of age.

There are no volunteers.

He watches in morbid fascination as the pasty hand reaches back into the bowl, making a flourish, as if all were as excited at the prospect of seeing who was chosen for the honorable hunger games as she was.

He wonders if his name will be called.

It is.

He goes numb for a second, but ultimately accepts his fate.

What else could he do?

He walks to the stage himself, taking care to make sure his posture is firm, his steps strong.

Gale Hawthorne will never be weak.

There are no volunteers.

He shakes Leanne's hand, and gives her a smile.

His mother comes first, sobbing, and telling him how much she loves him.

He hugs her round body and whispers reassurances.

After all, his death will be harder on her than it will be on him.

She doesn't bring his siblings.

He doesn't blame her.

His next guest is the mayors daughter, all blonde and pretty, and he wonders what it would have been like if she was chosen.

Like that would ever happen.

She tells him how she'd always felt for him, and feared that this might be the last time she'd ever get to announce her feelings.

He doesn't return them.

She's just a snobby brat, and for once, he wishes she was chosen.

Just so he could kill her himself.

But he says nothing, and accepts the pin she gives him, smiling at her in his quirky way of his.

She kisses him.

He lets her.

Prim is next, and he can't say he's surprised.

He supposes he must've been like an older brother to her, or dare he say, maybe even a father figure.

He kisses her forehead and says goodbye.

Katniss is last.

His Katniss.

He watches as she stumbles in and hugs him fiercely.

Tears flow from the eyes seemingly matched to his, and he wonders if he's ever seen her cry before.

He can't remember.

She makes him promise that he'll come home, that he'll win.

_You can do it._ She whispers.

He lies and agrees with her.

Before she's shoved out of the room he kisses her.

She lets him.

The train ride is silent and awkward.

Effie scolds them like children, and their mentor is a drunk.

Leanne cries the whole way.

_You're supposed to help us!_ She cries at Haymitch.

He laughs.

Gale joins in.

He withholds a curse as the hair from his legs is waxed off.

Sneers when they rub down his tan body will oil, whispering about how handsome he is.

_It's a shame he'll have to die. _They whisper with sorrow.

He doesn't think their attractive. With their weird colors and tight, unmoving faces.

He fucks them anyway.

Just because he can.

And pretends not to smirk when something as dirty as his name falls from their brightly colored lips.

_Stay alive for us? _They plead.

He just smiles and nods.

He openly laughs when his stylist comes in, handsome, and regular, while he watches his groomers gasp in horror as they throw on their clothes.

He realizes he's naked when the attractive man, who introduces himself as Cinna, looks his body up and down, and stops momentarily when they reach his lower regions.

He pretends not to notice.

He had to admit, that their costumes were cool.

He'd been unimpressed when he was dressed in a black uniform, as so many had done so before him.

Now though, with flames coming from his back, there wasn't any eye not looking at them.

He stiffens when he feels a small hand grasp for his, turning, he see's wide blue eyes pleading into his own.

He glares and pulls away.

He catches a rose instead.

Training is embarrassing.

The careers handle everything with style, having been trained most of their lives.

Leanne sticks to his side when he glances over at the plants.

He ignores the snickering from behind him.

He has his own strategy.

He's neatly groomed for his interview with Ceaser.

He has a new team and he wonders who let the cat out of the bag.

Cinnas still there though.

He doesn't ponder long.

He watches Leanne's interview, all made up in red, she wasn't a bad sight to behold.

She shy though, terribly, and he feels his face heat up for her.

When asked if she had a crush, her face goes beat red, and he finds himself smirking.

_He came here with me._

The camera zooms in on him.

He smiles.

The crowd claps as she leaves, and roars as he enters.

He plays buddy-buddy with the blue haired man.

Cracking lame jokes and complementing the Capitol.

_So, you and Leanne?_ He asks, blue brows waggling.

Laughing huskily, he throws his hands out in surrender.

_She's wonderful._ The crowd goes wild at the potential love story.

_But I'm gay._

Silence meets his statement.

Ceasers hand tightens on his leg.

They fuck afterwards.

He fakes his moans, and pretends his shudders are of the pleasurable kind.

_I'll call in some favors. _ The mouth, hot against his own pants.

_I'll make sure you come home._

He remains silent, and recaptures the man's mouth.

He finishes and whispers, _Katniss._

Ceaser says nothing.

He grabs his clothes and leaves.

He figures the favors are now invalid.

Walking back into District Twelve's rooms, he's immediately thrown against the wall by an enraged Haymitch.

_What game are you playing?_ Snarls the heavily breathing man.

Gale lifts his nose at the strong scent of alcohol.

_I didn't know you cared. _He mocks.

The arms around his throat tightened.

_You stupid boy! If you would've just followed our moves instead of being a wise ass you could've gotten sponsors!_

Its Gales turn to feel angry.

Shoving the man off of him, he snipes; _You think I didn't know what angle you two were going for? _

The room goes quiet.

_If I'm going to win I'm gonna do it by myself. Not by some Capitol fucks were threw me in here in the first place!_

He ignores Effie's outraged gasp, and goes to his room.

He doesn't answer to anyone for the rest of the night.

He gets a six for his training score.

He hides his smile behind a frown.

He has a few minutes before he has to go into the damned tube and enter his death arena.

He's dressed in a nice black outfit, polished to a gleam, less he die ugly.

Cinnas standing behind him, watching as his toned figure paces back and forth.

At the two minute mark he turns to the strangely silent man.

_I'm actually going to miss you. _ He says in disbelief, causing the silent figure to crack a smile.

_Don't talk like that. _He whispers fiercely.

Laughing hollowly, he raises his trimmed brows. _Like, oh, I don't know, like I'm not about to head into my death place?_

The golden lined man steps forward. _You don't know that._

Glancing at the man's eyes, he sees the emotion he kept pretending wasn't there.

He cusps the defined jawline of his one true friend, who had always seemed to look at him like a potential lover.

He feels brief guilt.

_Don't lie to yourself Cinna._

The man's head shakes determinedly, ready to contradict him, when he places his smooth lips over his.

The kiss is rough, filled with passion that one seems to pour, and the other seems to lack.

Gale doesn't know what to feel.

He breaks the kiss, and looks away.

_I'll try._ He promises, surprised when for once, it isn't a lie.

He steps into the tube and descends.

He runs away from the blood bath, and into the woods.

Turning his head back, he glances at all the items that he didn't fight for, didn't _die_ for.

Something in there could've saved him later.

He keeps running anyway.

He hides behind the bushes, silent, like when hunting for animals, when he sees some small girl settle in close to him.

Squinting, he spots a bow and arrow, and wonders how well she can use them.

He's debating his next move when he sees a small spark.

She's going to start a fire.

The careers will find her.

They'll find _him._

He's not ready to die yet.

He picks up a rock and throws it across from the girl, watching as her head turns away from him, and towards the sound.

She starts panting nervously.

Silently, he creeps behind her.

He doesn't have a weapon to kill her with.

The embers are getting bigger, starting to produce small wisps of smoke.

He acts irrationally.

Lunging, he grasps her neck from behind.

He watches, with a sick feeling in his gut, as she swings her arms out violently in a desperate attempt to ward him off. He's stronger though.

He didn't realize how long it actually took to choke someone.

Her face turns blue and she eventually passes out.

Dropping her body, he hurries to stomp out the now small flame, and lets out a breath when it dies down.

He never heard a cannon

Sighing, he grabs one of her arrows, and plunges it ruthlessly into her small neck.

A cannon sounds.

He's wakes up abruptly as he smells the strong scent of smoke.

Glancing around, his grey eyes widen once he catches sight of the flames quickly approaching him.

Grabbing his arrows, he runs out of the small tree he was hiding in and away from the heat searing at his back.

He makes it to a river and doesn't hesitate to dive in.

He creates a loud splash, and alerts the careers he hadn't noticed, to his prone figure.

Like deranged animals, they go wild at the sight of him.

He grows enraged as he hears them betting on who will kill him, taunting the _pretty_ boy.

He feels a new fire burning in him and wonders, _what would Katniss do?_

He finds a tree, and expertly climbs it, balancing his weight on the stronger branches, and bypassing the weak ones.

When they finally reach him they circle him like wild dogs.

The brunt one, Cato? Laughs and tries to follow him up.

He overestimates the branches capacity and goes tumbling down, taking most of the branches with him.

Snarling, a girl throws a knife.

He ducks, and it embeds itself into the branch near his head.

He pockets it.

He laughs, but stops short when he hears a familiar voice suggest they wait him out.

Grey eyes narrow in betrayal.

Murmuring their agreement, they set up camp and relax.

He waits until nightfall when all are asleep but one.

A male groggily standing lookout.

He takes his bow and shoots.

Then silently, he shimmies down the tree and runs

He's about to sleep inside a hallowed out log when he hears a branch snap.

Acting on instinct, he throws his new knife towards the sound.

He hears a dull thud.

Running to his imposer, he stops short when he sees a little girl.

Now dead.

He adverts his eyes in shame, and leaves the knife in her.

He doesn't want it back.

He wonders if the game makers took out all the animals.

No matter how many snares he sets up, nor how long he waits high in treetops, he can't seem to snag a damned thing.

Hunger paws at his stomach.

Desperation is what leads him to the Careers site.

Just as expected, there are piles of food and supplies.

They shouldn't have gotten greedy.

He set up a deploy and built a fire, fanning the smoke, in hopes it would attract their attention before bolting out of there.

It seemed to have worked.

Once again, only one, a boy stands guard.

He's hoping stealth will be on his side when he cracks a branch under his foot.

He silently curses.

The boys head turns toward him, weapon raised, and he awaits the oncoming battle.

When none comes.

Opening his eyes he unknowingly shut, they widen when instead of the boy looking at him, his eyes are on some read haired girl who'd been trying to steal some food.

She panics when he runs for her, and trips over herself.

An explosion sounds.

He sees both of their names in the sky that night, and thanks his lucky stars that all he got out of it was a banged up ear.

His bows aimed at Leanne, just ready to fire, when the new rule is announced.

Two people can win if there from the same district.

He lowers his bow, and ignores her cries of relief.

_Cornucopia._

Not matter how tempting it is to go, he decides not to.

It sounded like sending pigs to the slaughter.

Leanne disagrees.

_They have what we need there!_ She explained hotly.

He looked on, unimpressed. _What exactly do we need?_

_What don't we need!_ She countered.

He shrugs.

_Like,um,-your ear! They might have medicine for it!_

He chuckles_, A messed up ear is the least of my troubles._

She sighs in exasperation.

He pretends not to see her sneak off at night.

Later, he pretends not to feel guilty when he sees her name in the sky.

And then there were two.

He's wrestling with Cato, who's mad with blood lust, all while trying not to fall off, and into the mouths of those weird mutation dogs.

They're both strong, and they both realize that there can only be one winner.

That both of them are so _close _to being a winner.

But Gale's prepared, and Cato's sloppy.

He pushes him off and winces at the bloodcurdling scream that resounds once the dogs start gnawing at him.

He sets out to put him out of his misery.

Except that he's dropped his arrows.

He goes to sleep cradled by the boys last few whimpers.

He wakes up and is declared the 74th Hunger Games Winner.

He wonders what he won.


End file.
